About this ebook
The Holiday Baking Companion brings together 70 approachable American and European holiday recipes, arranged in the order you'll want to bake them—from Halloween and the autumn harvest through Thanksgiving, Advent, Christmas, New Year's Eve, and Epiphany.
Inside you'll find familiar favorites alongside beloved European traditions: pumpkin pie and maple pecan pie, gingerbread and cut-out cookies, Austrian Vanillekipferl, Spanish Polvorones, German Stollen and Lebkuchen, Italian-style Panettone, French Bûche de Noël and Galette des Rois, Greek Vasilopita, festive breads, edible gifts, celebration cakes and much more.
But this isn't a baking book that assumes you already know what you're doing.
Every recipe includes metric and US measurements, difficulty level, active and total time, yield, storage advice, visual baking cues, and practical troubleshooting—so occasional bakers can approach the holidays with confidence.
And every bake comes with something unusual: a thoughtfully chosen drink pairing inspired by author Ornella Tansy's background as a sommelier. Depending on the recipe, that might mean Champagne, dessert wine, coffee, tea, hot chocolate, or another alcohol-free choice designed to complement the flavors on the plate.
You'll also discover:
* 70 holiday recipes from America and Europe
* cookies, pies, cakes, breads, desserts, and edible gifts
* beginner-friendly techniques and step-by-step instructions
* make-ahead and storage guidance for busy holiday kitchens
* substitutions and conversion tables
* solutions for common baking problems
* space for your own notes and family variations
* a Holiday Baking Planner for organizing the season
* sommelier-inspired beverage pairings throughout
Whether you're filling a cookie tin, preparing Thanksgiving dessert, baking gifts for friends or putting something memorable on the Christmas table, The Holiday Baking Companion is designed to stay beside you throughout the season—open on the counter, dusted with flour, and eventually filled with your own notes and traditions.
Bake something worth remembering.
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About the author
Ornella Tansy grew up between the Ligurian coast of Italy and the Côte d'Azur, in a family that measured the calendar by what came out of the oven. A trained sommelier specializing in Bordeaux and Napa Valley wines, she worked in the wine trade on both sides of the Atlantic.
Her years in the United States gave her a second festive calendar, from Halloween to Thanksgiving, which she adopted with enthusiasm and has never given back.
Today she divides her time between the Mediterranean coast, her garden, and a kitchen that smells of cinnamon from mid-October onward. As a lifestyle consultant, she helps people build balanced, genuinely enjoyable lives. She also writes about Mediterranean living, natural health, healthy cooking, herbal remedies, and wine.
